This invention relates generally to motor vehicles convertible between different configurations and more specifically to motor vehicles which are convertible between a closed configuration having an enclosed cargo bed and a pickup truck configuration having an open cargo bed.
Light weight cargo loads are typically hauled in closed van type vehicles or in pickup trucks. Pickup trucks commonly have a cab, which is a covered passenger seating area, and an open bed for hauling cargo. Van type vehicles, on the other hand, usually have their cargo area completely enclosed by a roof as well as sides and a rear closure member commonly higher than the tailgate of a pickup truck.
It is well known, that both vans and pickup trucks have certain advantages. For example, pickup trucks are able to carry cargo which extends above the side walls of the cargo bed and may be loaded more easily than the enclosed cargo area of a van. Vans, on the other hand, have the advantage of providing security and shelter for the cargo in an enclosed cargo area.
It is also known to combine the attributes of pickup trucks and vans in one vehicle. Caps which fit over the open bed of a pickup truck are one common way to provide shelter and security to cargo in a pickup truck. However, truck caps are often difficult for one person to attach or remove and require a storage area when not in use.
Another manner of providing the attributes of a van and pickup truck can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,024 issued to Jack C. Swann on Dec. 2, 1986. The Swann truck comprises a fixed body section sheltering a forward portion of the cargo bay and a movable body section positioned above a rear portion of the cargo bay. A track is provided on the fixed body section and runners, mounted on the movable body section, are located in the track for allowing movement of the movable body section along the track. When the truck is in the van configuration, both the fixed body section and the movable body section shelter the entire cargo bay. When the truck is in the pickup configuration the movable body section is positioned forwardly above the fixed body section to allow a rear section of the truck to become an open cargo bed.
One problem, however, with Swann's vehicle is that it makes no use of the movable body section for supporting any of the cargo when in the pickup truck configuration.
To this end, the present invention is directed to a vehicle which is convertible between a closed van configuration having an enclosed cargo space and a pickup truck configuration having an open cargo bed and which uses a movable section of the van configuration to increase the area of the cargo bed when the van is converted to the pickup truck configuration.
Some other patents showing multi-purpose vehicles which are convertible from one configuration to another, but in a manner different than that provided by the present invention are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,916 issued on June 22, 1982 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,855 issued on Dec. 23, 1986 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,136 issued on Apr. 21, 1987